Chef n Farmer hot sauce venture

ajdrew said:

1 - I would like to use my own ingredients.  Do copackers allow that?
2 - How do you know if they are overpriced?  What should it cost?

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From my brief discussions with 2 different copackers in the midwest I can tell you:
 
1. No the two I talked to.  They usually already have relationships with vendors and don't want to be liable for your produce.
 
2. No idea.   A large part of the reason I chose to continue on my own was because I thought they were charging too much.  For limited runs that I wanted I got price quotes of more than $2 a bottle.  I can make them myself in a licensed kitchen for that much.  
 
I wish you luck AJD.  

SmokenHot, thank you for your input.  Copackers not wanting to use my produce is a problem because growing is my thing.  So tell me, with a commercial kitchen how much of a pain in the rear is following health code for proper bottling?  I am very familiar with standard canning and pressure canning methods.  Willing to be things like relish and other goods that go into a jar are about the same.  But the thought of plastic caps is kind of scary.

With home processing, there is a service here that will tell you what ever you need to know.  What about commercial processing?
 
On wishing me luck, thank you.  The project will be a success if I wind up with a real world friend before one of us drops dead.  Wouldnt mind making some coin, but look to produce for that.  This is more of an excuse to spend time with someone.  Kind of like duck hunting when you dont bring ammunition.

AJD- If you are a licensed grower or have a proper farm business, I don't see why a copacker wouldn't let you bring in your own produce.  If you were just a home grower, with no licensing of any kind, yea, I can see why they wouldn't be thrilled about letting you bring in your own produce.  Sea Fire (formerly Davez Foodz) goes to eastern Washington in the fall, they help pick something like 50 cases of a couple different chiles, take them to the co-packer for processing in their sauce. 
 
What they charge? 
I got a quote from one copacker who wanted to charge $600 to review my already-approved process authority letter and recipe/process.    WTF?  It's BBQ sauce, throw the stuff int he pot, cook it up, bottle it!  HELLO?!?!? it's not rocket science~~~
 
Anyway- a lot of copackers don't have time to babysit new clients.  Your best shot would be to get your recipe dialed in, see what the ingredients are in the final version, then look at what type of processing would be appropriate.  Does it need canning or is hot packing OK?
 
Some copakcers will walk you through everythign from start to finish including recipe development, but it'll cost ya!!!  Their time ain't cheap.  The more you can do ahead including getting the recipe finalized and approved by a process authority, the better it will be to talk to copackers.   
 
That again will have a lot to do with how much tehy will charge for a run.  Are you hand pealing 20 pounds of carrots, 15 pounds of onions, roasting and pealing 8 pounds of beets, roasting/blackening 40 pounds of poblanos and then peeling.....
 
Or do you toss it all through a grinder, splash some vinegar on it and cook it up? 
 
 
You see where this is going....
 
 
 
 
I'd say, get together with your friend, spend a year making test batches, then make another, and another, and another,and another.....By the end of this coming winter, you will know what produce you need to grow and you'll be ready to take the next step.
 
Good Luck and HAVE FUN!

SalsaLady, our extension office approves recipes for the cottage industry for cheap.  Figure after a recipe is dialed in within the guide lines for the local cottage industry laws, then can see about getting them approved for commercial sales. 
 
You used the term "licensed", yep but not sure why other than to be included in every one of their damned surveys.  Here they call it registering, but same thing.  Seriously, we no longer raise poultry commercially but when we did not one inspection or inquiry.  During that same time period, they sent a survey that wanted to know how many bathrooms we had in our home.  I do not pretend to understand any of it.  I just smile and nod, smile and nod.